Alex Eala falls to Claire Liu in 2026 Hong Kong Open final
Alex Eala has fallen to American player Claire Liu at the 2026 Hong Kong Open finals, 3-6, 0-6.
On Nov. 8, the world no. 17 and world no. 102 went head-to-head at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium, where Pinoys watched and cheered even from outside Centre Court.
The opening set began with a close fight as Liu and Eala each notched points. Midway through the set, the Filipina called for a medical timeout to have her right knee checked. However, after Liu broke the 3-3 tie, she continued to dominate the rest of the set.
On the other hand, the second set began with a lengthy battle to hold the advantage for the first point until Liu broke the tie. She went on to sweep the Filipina.
This is Liu's first main tour WTA title.
In a post-match ceremony, Eala got to say a few words to cap off her season.
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"Thank you all for being here. First and foremost, I want to congratulate Claire on an amazing tournament, [a] great week and a great match. Congratulations!" she said.
"[To] the fans, thank you! I mean, wrapping up this year, you guys do not know how much meaning you add on top of what I do and how much of a pleasure it is to share these moments with you."
Eala then turned emotional as she took the time to thank her team, her parents, and her brother.
"This season has changed my life for the better[.] I'm incredibly proud of the work we put in this year."
Before reaching the finals, Eala bested Greece's Maria Sakkari, Croatia's Antonia Ruzic, Czech Republic's Tereza Valentova, and Australia's Emerson Jones.
The Filipina came off the 2026 Pan Pacific Open, where she reached the quarterfinals and ended her campaign after falling to Russia's Diana Shnaider.
In other tournaments of her Asian swing, Eala suffered early exits in Ningbo, Wuhan, and Singapore.
The Hong Kong Open is Eala's last campaign season for 2026. She's set to climb to world no. 16.
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